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The Shape of Water – When I saw The Shape of Water I intended on posting a filmgoer’s mini-review, yet as a cinephile and not a full-fledged critic, I wasn’t sure my words would give it the praise it deserves. I will say this, see this film if you like fairy tales with life lessons, monsters you can relate to, heroes/heroines who rise up from the oppressed, and villains who are taken down by their own egos, bigotry, and narcissism (you see where I’m going with this). It’s a magical fable for our times. Guillermo del Toro, the writer and director, creates a fantasy world based on our Cold War past, referencing a horror picture of the time, Creature from the Black Lagoon in all it’s visual and aural specificity to delight, surprise, and sometimes “turn-your-head-away” shock the viewer. The art direction, cinematography, and score are breathtaking. The cast has a villain you love to hate played by Michael Shannon, a Russian spy who helps save the day (now that’s a twist), played by Michael Stulhbarg who has roles in three Oscar-nominated films this year including, The Post and Call Me by Your Name, a gay illustrator neighbor who loves old movies, musicals and pie, played by Richard Jenkins, and our heroines, the mute Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer as the housekeeping crew in the Cold War research facility. Lastly, there’s the egg-eating creature, full of sparkly scales and curiosity. Did I say, “See this film?” Yes, two webbed thumbs up!

Can’t wait to read more? Visit the blog where there are more reviews for: Documentaries, The Best Foreign Film, Honorable Mention, Films I Haven’t Seen Yet, Guilty Pleasures, Films I Wanted to Like More Than I Did, Films I Chose Not to See, and, Dream Double Features.

Featured photo by GuillemMedina

Lady Bird – This is Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut based on her semi-autobiographical story, which she wrote about life growing up in Sacramento, California on the verge of adulthood and independence. (more…)

Call Me by Your Name – When I saw Call Me by Your Name, it’s as if I spent a sensual summer in 1983 in a villa in Northern Italy with a 17-year-old gifted musician, Elio, played by Timothée Chalamet. (more…)

The Florida Project – I saw The Florida Project with two of my Madison Indie Filmmaker friends. (more…)

The Post – My mini-film review of The Post that follows is biased. Let me explain how and why. First, it was my birthday and I invited friends to join me for a matinee and post-film discussion. (more…)

I, Tonya – I must confess, I entered the theater to see I, Tonya with conservative expectations and a liberal curiosity. (more…)

Wonder Woman – First, let me go on record, that both Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot were snubbed by the Academy and other award-issuing guilds and media, not for the fact that the film was the third highest-grossing movie domestically for 2017, (more…)